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Ballongprojekt från AMSAT-CT

AMSAT-SM fick fljande info frn AMSAT-CT angende ett ballongprojekt de just gjort. Dom har tappat bort ballongen och behver hjlp:

Greetings to all,

as part of the group of AMSAT-CT and AMRAD PT, please alow
me to introduce us to the AMSAT organizations that don t
know us yet.

Please take a wee time to check our webpage (in Portuguese), as it has info on the organization, and also
on the balloon launch.

http://www.amrad.pt/ – main
http://www.amrad.pt/amsatct.php

Balloon launch –
http://www.amrad.pt/lancamento_cinelsat2.php

AMRAD s balloon was lauched last Friday, 24th October,
around 5:30pm GMT. The payload consisted on a Video Camera, ATV 1260MHz, GPS receiver, APRS tracking device transmitting on VHF 145.850MHz. Four balloons pulled it up, and a parachute went together. (first picture shows the setup) It has inside the payload, a plastic wrapped paper with ID, contacts and emails.

The balloon was tracked for more than 10h with the precious help of CT1FAK, and other collegues, using their powerfull receiving stations, equiped with the latest radio technology.

The last received packet from the ballon, at CT1FAK s station, has the timestamp of +-3:30am GMT 25th October. We lost contact with the balloon after that. We received logs from our friends in the NorthWest Spain, Galiza, with timestamps of 7:49am Zulu same day. They had the last contact with the running balloon.

The balloon climbed up to 27xxx feet only. Bad weather and
heavy clouds didn t allow it any further up. According to wind charts, forecasts and local Meteo office, we had East winds that would push the balloon into middle Atalantic Ocean, and later north. Is this correct ?? Theres no way to know this. The balloon is already electrically dead .

Hence our contact to the countries around the Atlantic
Ocean. As the payload is pulled by four balloons, we presume it is still floating around somewhere, if it hadnt burst because of the heavy cloud ceiling, that didn t allow it any further up.

We take the opportunity to ask for help (and some advise),
if by any chance the balloon falls in your country, is
picked up in the ocean by boats/fishermen, or picked at the sea shore.

On behalf of AMRAD s board and associates, we thank you all. For reading, for spreading the news to your associates and collegues, and for, who knows, catching the payload 🙂

73 de CT1XI
AMRAD and AMSAT-CT board of directors

AMRAD

Klla: CT1XI

By SM0TGU

Webmaster and member of the AMSAT-SM steering group.

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